‘It is the second tragedy in Lake Van’

* Photo: Mesut Varal / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Since a boat sank in Lake Van in eastern Turkey on June 27, the deceased bodies of 60 refugees have been found so far. The search and rescue efforts are still ongoing in the region.

CLICK - Death toll rises to 60 in Lake Van

We have spoken with lawyer Mahmut Kaçan, the Administrative Board member of Van Bar Association in charge of Migration and Asylum Commission, about the latest situation in Van, smuggling of migrants and what will happen to the deceased bodies of the refugees.

'Smuggling of migrants underway for a long time'

Lawyer Kaçan has shared the following information with bianet:

"We can say that this incident is the second biggest tragedy that unfolded in Lake Van in seven months. The first one was on December 26, 2019. A boat that set off from Bitlis sank off the coast of Van. While seven migrants lost their lives, 64 migrants were rescued.

"Then, at the night of June 27, we heard about this incident thanks to a local journalist. According to initial reports, the only person who survived the incident, namely the suspect, was deposing at the gendarmerie command. According to his deposition, the smuggling of migrants with small fishing boats had long been underway in Lake Van.

"We have detected that, in an attempt to evade the checkpoints of police and gendarmerie in and around Van, refugees are made to pass the lake and left in the village of Reşadiye in Tatvan district in Van.

"We have learnt that this method with small fishing boats is quite frequently used to pass the checkpoints in Lake Van. There are no large vessels or ships on the lake, there are only small fishing boats. Their capacity is 20-25 people the most and they are not very safe, either.

"As far as we could detect, five people, including the one who survived the incident, have been arrested in relation with it.

"A confidentiality order has been imposed on the investigation file; that is why, we cannot see it in its entirety. As far as we know, a warrant has been issued to detain around 10 people considered to be related with this incident, but we do not know who these people are.

'Especially three people were beyond recognition'

"60 people in total have been recovered from the lake. There are no women among them, but there are two small children and another child aged 17.

"The majority of the bodies protected their physical integrity, especially because the water is cold at a depth of 107 meters, where the boat was found, and because the lake has alkaline water. But especially the bodies of three people were beyond recognition."

"We did not know about their origins until recently. However, the Forensic Medicine Institution give numbers to the bodies based on the dates when they were found and take their picture. First, the Embassy of Afghanistan was contacted about the incident. Some of the deceased are from Afghanistan while some of them are from Pakistan.

"Some families have got in touch with us through different channels. We could identify only four people based on the applications made to us. All four of them are from Pakistan and they have not been laid to rest yet. 21 of 60 bodies were laid to rest in common grave, nine bodies were taken by their relatives and the rest are held in the mortuaries of different hospitals in Van.

"The procedures stipulate that they shall be kept in mortuaries for 15 days and if no one claims them, they are unfortunately buried in common grave.

'More bodies might be found'

"Based on the information given by the person who survived the incident, there were around 70-80 people on the boat. But there are also some sources who say that there might be 100-110 people. So, it is unfortunately likely that more dead bodies will be recovered. Works are still ongoing."

CLICK - Refugees are not numbers

According to lawyer Kaçan, Lake Van is mostly used to evade the checkpoints and migrants go to migrant smugglers to avoid being caught:

"The Embassy of Afghanistan is making efforts for the recovered bodies. The photos of bodies are shared with them. However, we have not yet heard anything about Pakistan, it seems like they are excluded from this. We will appeal to the Public Prosecutor's Office today (July 23) and request that - at least - two Pakistan nationals be sent to their country.

"As they do not have their IDs, it is very difficult to identify them, the same is the case for their origins as well."

Kaçan has also noted that as far as they could learn, refugees and migrants are asked to pay based on their economic situation and they are made to pay an average of 500-1,000 dollars to migrant smugglers.

Van Bar is currently preparing a report about the incident, sharing findings and offering recommendations. The report will be issued soon.

What happened?

After setting off from Altınsaç Neighborhood in Gevaş district of Van on July 27, a boat with refugees on board reportedly got missing.

It was first alleged that the boat of Medeni Akbaş and Servet Akbaş, two fishers and also relatives who were allegedly carrying over 100 refugees, sank in Lake Van in eastern Turkey. As the fate and whereabouts of the two fishers were unknown, the head of Altınsaç Village as well as police and gendarmerie forces were informed about the incident.

Medeni Akbaş, who managed to get out of the capsized boat alive, reached Çitören Neighborhood in Tuşba and called his family. Upon the deposition of Akbaş, who was detained by the gendarmerie, a search and rescue operation has started in the area where the boat sank.

In a statement released by the Van Governor's Office on July 8, it was indicated that the boat was located at a 106.5-meter depth off the shores of Çarpanak. While five people have been arrested in relation with this incident, 70-80 refugees are estimated to have been on board. (SO/SD)